New data centers, bank business and popularity ratings were topics of interest at Thursday's presidential press conference. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard subsequently spoke about the economic benefit investment in data centers will bring to Mexico, while Sheinbaum commented on the sale of a 25% stake in Banamex and the results of a recent opinion poll.
Ebrard: Data centers will help drive economic growth
Ebrard told reporters that the development of artificial intelligence and data center projects in Mexico is still in its infancy.
“What you’re seeing is the beginning, … the launch, because it’s something that is very new in the whole world,” he said.
“… The good thing is that we’re on the wave,” Ebrard said before praising Sheinbaum, state governors and IT companies for their “foresight” in helping Mexico to get on that wave.
“These data centers will allow us … to train our people, integrate services, integrate companies,” he said.
Data centers will drive economic growth in Mexico in coming years, according to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard (left), shown here with the COO of U.S. tech firm CloudHQ, Keith Harney. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)
Ebrard said it was “very difficult” to say how much data center and AI projects would add to Mexico’s GDP in the near term, but he asserted that such projects would be “one of the main drivers” of the Mexican and global economy in the years ahead.
Mexican businessman’s purchase of 25% stake in Banamex is ‘good news,’ says Sheinbaum
She said that Chico — Mexico’s eighth richest person — is “a man of good reputation.”
Sheinbaum said that she understood that he had reached a “good agreement” with Citigroup, which sold him the 25% stake in Banamex.
“They contacted me to inform me [of the transaction], which is important to know,” she said.
“So, … Banamex returns to a Mexican businessman in a legal transaction that begins with a 25% [stake],” she said.
“I think that it’s very good; it’s good news,” said Sheinbaum, who shares her maternal surname with Chico Pardo, although they are not related.
Sheinbaum: ‘People see that things are going well in the country’
A reporter noted that a recent poll found that Sheinbaum has a high approval rating among people who identified themselves as supporters of opposition parties, namely the Institutional Revolutionary Party (65% approval), the National Action Party (60%) and the Citizens Movement party (64%). The poll conducted by Enkoll for the newspaper El País and W Radio detected an overall approval rating of 79% for the president.
Sheinbaum acknowledged that she and her government have “a lot of popular support.”
In addition to a 79% overall approval rating, a recent poll found that supporters of opposition parties generally approved of Sheinbaum. (Enkoll)
She said that one reason why her government is so popular is that it has stuck to its principles and hasn’t broken its promises.
Another reason, Sheinbaum said, is that “there is continuity in the transformation that began in December 2018,” when former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office.
“… That’s why we call [my administration] the second story of the transformation,” she said.
“And the people see that things are going well in the country,” said Sheinbaum, who is just five days away from completing her first year in office.
“… There is acceptance that Mexico is doing well and that we’re going to continue making progress. And that is what gives [us] popular support,” she said.
With the Oct. 1 International Coffee Day approaching, Veracruz state lawmaker Victoria Gutiérrez Pérez has proposed an out-of-this-world strategy for boosting consumption and production. (Veracruz State Congress)
Deputy Victoria Gutiérrez Pérez sparked a controversy in the Veracruz state Congress by suggesting that outer space could smell like Veracruz coffee.
While participating in a discussion of draft bills to support coffee growing and coffee producers in Veracruz, Gutiérrez claimed that scientists in Veracruz have created a spacecraft that could allow “outer space to smell like coffee.”
Veracruz is the second-largest coffee producing state in Mexico, producing roughly one-quarter of the nation’s coffee beans. (cafedeveracruz.com.mx)
Gutiérrez — a member of the Morena party that controls the state Congress, holding 30 of the 50 seats — chairs the Special Committee for the Attention, Monitoring and Development of Coffee Growing in Veracruz.
The 71-year-old Gutiérrez proposed boosting the spread of Veracruz coffee by using the apocryphal spacecraft — which she said is capable of traveling to Mars — to carry its aroma beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
“Don’t you know coffee is also drunk in space?” she said, adding that she has asked the scientists to demonstrate how the aroma of Veracruz coffee could also be present in space as part of the state’s International Coffee Day commemoration on Oct. 1.
Deputy María Elena Córdoba, a member of the Citizen’s Movement Party, said Gutiérrez’s proposal “lacks all seriousness”
Córdoba told the newspaper La Jornada that unserious proposals for International Coffee Day had come from other Morena lawmakers as well, citing suggested images depicting “astronauts in space,” “families at table,” “sleepless students” and even “a wake,” where participants drink coffee.
Such marketing images, effective or not, are hardly in the same category as launching a rocketship to spread the aroma of coffee into space.
Still, said Córdoba, “It is truly painful and worrisome that instead of addressing the true needs of the sector, this committee is considering ideas that do little or nothing to resolve the underlying problems” Instead, she said, attention is being diverted from the real debate about the incentives the sector actually requires.
Opposition lawmakers insist the state’s more than 90,000 coffee producers — and the more than 200,000 Veracruzanos that depend directly on coffee cultivation — have been severely affected by a recent fall in international prices, as well as climate change, and the state must take steps to support them.
Veracruz is the second-largest coffee producing state in Mexico, according to the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry (Sader). With more than 145,000 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation in 2024, the Gulf Coast state produces roughly one-quarter of the nation’s coffee beans.
Most of the confiscated weapons were replicas that the detained church members were using to train as a militia. (Michoacán Security Ministry/Cuartoscuro)
Federal and state authorities arrested 38 individuals allegedly linked to the La Luz del Mundo church in the municipality of Vista Hermosa, Michoacán, while they were undergoing weapons training at a clandestine camp.
The raid in Michoacán, which was part of a joint search-and-seizure operation in seven states, was carried out early Tuesday morning by members of the Army, the National Guard, the state Attorney General’s Office and municipal police officers. One of those arrested has been identified as a U.S. citizen.
While 38 of his followers were being detained in Mexico, third-generation Luz del Mundo leader Naasón Joaquín García faces charges in the U.S. of racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking and child exploitation, in addition to the sexual abuse of children conviction for which he is already serving time. (Michoacán Security Ministry/Cuartoscuro.com)
But what disconcerted the authorities was that the suspects did not identify themselves as cartel hitmen, but as members of the apocalyptic church La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World), whose leader is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California.
Naasón Joaquín García, the controversial leader of the Guadalajara-based church, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing children in 2020, but his legal troubles are far from over.
According to the Morelia, Michoacán newspaper Changoonga, the suspects were “dressed in black, with fake weapons, radios and even a homemade bomb simulator, … [and] looked like a commando unit.”
They told the authorities they were training to be part of the Jahzer Guard, a special force created to protect Joaquín and his immediate family, as well as to protect the faith in the “Final Judgment.”
Not much has been reported about the Jahzer Guard, but a victim of Joaquín’s abuse told El País the group “participated in the criminal acts of evangelical leaders,” even kidnapping women and holding them in safe houses.
CloudHQ will join companies like Google and Microsoft that already have data centers in the central Mexican state of Querétaro. (İsmail Enes Ayhan/Unsplash)
U.S. tech firm CloudHQ will invest an estimated US $4.8 billion to build six data centers and complementary infrastructure on a single site in Querétaro, a company executive said Thursday.
Keith Harney, CloudHQ’s chief operating officer, announced the investment at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Thursday morning press conference.
CloudHQ COO Keith Harney shared the news at President Sheinbaum’s Thursday press conference. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)
“Our site in Querétaro is 52 hectares and we will be building six data centers, most likely for cloud compute and AI and it will be up to 900 megawatts of critical IT load,” he said.
The data center campus is “in close proximity to Querétaro Airport and will be the biggest data center campus in Mexico designed to accommodate 6 buildings of 48MW of IT load powered by an onsite substation,” according to the CloudHQ website.
Querétaro Airport is located about 25 kilometers east of Querétaro city.
Harney described the project as a “hyper-scale data center campus in Querétaro,” a state that has become a data center hub due to factors including its central location in Mexico and a growing electricity supply.
He said that it is anticipated that construction of the data centers will create “7,200 highly-skilled construction jobs.”
The campus — which will have its own 900-megawatt substation — is expected to be completed in 2027. Once operational it should provide 900 permanent jobs, and create off-campus jobs as well, according to the CloudHQ executive.
Harney said that CloudHQ “is respectful of sustainable design” and highlighted that the data centers will be equipped with “waterless cooling” infrastructure. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that campus’s water usage will be “very low.”
The companies that lease the data centers make their own significant investments in the facilities, he said.
“The capital investment I shared with you is our cost. We rent our space to our customers. Our customers will make a capital investment into the property to make it ready for their business,” Harney said.
“Typically that investment could be three to five times the cost of our building, and that would be for a cloud compute and if that was AI it would be significantly higher. So as you can see, [there will be] significant capital investment,” he said.
“… Our customers ultimately determine what they will use the space for but we’re highly confident that this space will be used for cloud compute and AI, so artificial intelligence,” Harney said.
“… We are pleased to be playing a supporting role in enhancing the digital economy for Mexico,” he added.
Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of expanding Mexico’s data processing capacity. (Saúl López Escorcia/Presidencia)
Sheinbaum said that investment in data centers is “important for Mexico,” explaining that it gives the country “the capacity to process data related to artificial intelligence and information technology.”
“We also need these investments to bring benefits for the community,” she said.
Ebrard highlighted that “practically all the services in our daily lives will be connected to these kinds of data centers.”
“… That’s why [the investment] is very important — because of its amount, the number of jobs [it will create] and the effect it will have,” he said.
CloudHQ’s data center campus in detail
Harney provided a range of other details about CloudHQ’s project in Querétaro. He said that:
CloudHQ has collaborated with authorities in Querétaro on “the land and pre-development process” since 2021.
Cloud HQ has also collaborated with the Federal Electricity Commission and the National Energy Control Center to “secure initial power” for the company’s campus and “will continue to collaborate as we upsize capacity.”
Cloud HQ will “seek to secure a long-term anchor tenant” for the data center campus.
CloudHQ is building a separate “2-gigawatt maneuvering substation” to provide power to the data centers.
CloudHQ will rely on “the Mexican supply chain as much as we can” while building the data centers.
The campus site is “just west” of the Querétaro Airport.
The primary sector, which includes agriculture, fisheries and forestry, declined 12.2% year-over-year in July. Since the sector is heavily dependent on seasonal resources, volatility is to be expected, experts say. (Adolfo Vladimir/Cuartoscuro)
The IMF and the OECD recently upgraded their economic growth forecasts for Mexico in 2025, but the national statistics agency INEGI delivered some bad news this week: The economy contracted in annual and month-over-month terms in July.
Weighed down by weak primary and secondary sector activity, the Mexican economy declined 1.2% annually in July and 0.9% compared to June, INEGI reported.
The secondary sector, which includes manufacturing and construction, also showed a weak performance in July, but less so than the primary sector. (Cuartoscuro)
In the first seven months of the year, GDP increased just 0.1% compared to the same period of 2024.
The annual contraction in July was the worst performance for the Mexican economy in any month since February 2021.
The month-over-month contraction was the worst sequential result since April 2024.
Analysts from the Monex financial group said that the economic result for July was “weaker than anticipated” and reinforced “signs of cooling in economic activity” in Mexico.
INEGI’s data shows that Mexico’s primary sector, which includes agricultural, forestry and fishing activities, contracted 12.2% in July compared to the same month of 2024.
The secondary sector, which includes manufacturing, construction, mining and electricity generation and distribution, shrank by 2.8% annually.
The tertiary or services sector was the only sector to grow, expanding 0.4% compared to July 2024. Still, that level of growth was the weakest in four months for Mexico’s large services sector.
On a month-over-month basis, all three sectors contracted in July. The primary sector declined 3%, the secondary sector contracted 1.2% and the tertiary sector shrank by 0.4%.
In the first seven months of the year, the primary sector grew 2%, the secondary sector contracted 1.5% and the tertiary sector expanded 0.8%.
Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Banco Base, said that the “poor performance of the secondary sector, particularly in construction and manufacturing, presents a significant risk for employment.”
The construction sector contracted 4.1% annually in July and 1.2% on a month-over-month basis. The sector’s poor performance was attributed in part to the decrease in government spending on infrastructure projects.
The manufacturing sector declined 1.8% annually in July and 1.6% compared to June.
The significant contractions of the primary sector in July didn’t surprise the chief economist at the brokerage firm Valmex.
“Primary [sector] activities are characterized by being very volatile, with abrupt declines followed by sharp upturns, reflecting their high exposure to climatic and seasonal factors,” Gerónimo Ugarte said.
The month-over-month decline in the tertiary sector was attributed to factors including the decline in inflows of remittances and a wetter-than-normal rainy season in various parts of the country.
The outlook for the rest of the year
Banamex analysts anticipate that the Mexican economy will remain weak in the coming months. In a written analysis, they forecast that GDP will decline 0.2% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the previous three-month period.
The Banamex analysts are predicting that the Mexican economy will grow 0.4% in 2025, on par with the forecast of the brokerage firm Vector.
Mexico’s Finance Ministry is forecasting growth of between 0.5% and 1.5% this year.
Ferando Chico Pardo, seen here at a 2017 event in Veracruz, is the president of the international airport operator ASUR and has served on the boards of Inbursa, Sears de México and many other companies. (Ise Huesca/Cuartoscuro)
Fernando Chico Pardo, president of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), has agreed to purchase 25% of Banamex’s shares — equivalent to 520 million common shares — from Citigroup for an estimated sum of 42 billion pesos (US $2.3 billion).
Banamex, officially Banco Nacional de México, one of the oldest and most important financial institutions in Mexico,was founded in 1884 after the merger of Banco Nacional Mexicano and Banco Mercantil Mexicano.
Citibanamex officially split into Grupo Financiero Citi México and Grupo Financiero Banamex at the end of 2024, one step in Citigroup’s divestment from Banamex. (Cuartoscuro)
The transaction means that a key stake in Banamex, until now under the control of the U.S. conglomerate Citi, is returning to Mexican ownership.
“Fernando Chico Pardo’s investment demonstrates his confidence in Banamex’s future and the development of its current strategy to continue growing across all lines of business and advancing its digital and operational transformation,” Citi CEO Jane Fraser stated in a written statement.
The purchase is still subject to regulatory approvals in Mexico and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026.
In its statement, Citi said that Chico Pardo will be appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banamex, while Manuel Romo will remain as CEO.
“We are very committed and happy to be part of Banamex, an iconic institution in Mexico with a very promising future,” Chico said. “We have a lot of confidence in the team and will continue working closely on the transformation they have already started.”
Chico explained that they want to prioritize digitalization with special focus on client satisfaction during every point of interaction between the customer and the banking institution.
“Our long-term commitment is to work together to achieve better positioning in all areas and thereby further boost sectors, companies and people throughout the country,” Chico stressed.
As part of Citi’s divestment from Banamex, the spin-off of Banamex and the U.S. conglomerate was finalized at the end of 2024, resulting in two independent financial groups in Mexico: Grupo Financiero Citi México and Grupo Financiero Banamex. Citi will focus on corporate and institutional banking, while Banamex will serve consumer banking. The U.S. bank’s strategy is to focus on large corporations, while a portion of Banamex will be sold on the stock market through an initial public offering (IPO).
Fraser explained that Citi continues to work towards an initial public offering (IPO) for Banamex, which is expected to take place late this year or in 2026.
He has served on the boards of Grupo Financiero Inbursa, Condumex, Grupo Carso, Sanborns Hermanos, Sears de México and Grupo Posadas. Since 2005, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASUR, an international airport operator with a portfolio of concessions to operate, maintain and develop 16 airports in Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
Mexico City is the capital of nostalgia. Where else in the world is there a Sunday market dedicated to antiques, ranging from the 16th century to the Space Age of the 1960s? (Wikimedia Commons/Alejandro Linares García)
I’ve had a very close relationship withMexico City’s Historic Center ever since I was a child. From my first time at Mercado de Sonora, at the early age of 7, to learning how toride a bike in Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, some of my dearest childhood memories were collected in the Cuauhtémoc borough.
When I was in middle school, my mother started teaching at Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, so I often accompanied her to work and took two-hour-long strolls to the Zócalo and back. On Sundays, after Mass at some 17th-century Baroque church, my family never missed the chance to visit La Lagunilla market.
La Lagunilla market was founded on the shores of one of Tenochtitlán’s ancient lakes. (Wikimedia Commons/UNAM)
My father was rather reluctant to go, but he almost always gave in. Everyone falls for the mysterious charm of a market selling Bauhaus furniture and pieces by Rafael Coronel (potentially real, potentially fake) side-by-side, scattered on the street, eventually. But what exactly is La Lagunilla, and what can you find there?
What exactly is La Lagunilla market?
Present-day Mexico City was built on a lake — actually, on a set of five lakes. In pre-Columbian times, what is now known as the Valley of Mexico was divided into several ancient bodies of water: Texcoco, Chalco, Xochimilco, Xaltocan and Zumpango. Although “their boundaries were fluctuating and unstable,” notes the UNAM Institute of Historical Research, “they did not constitute a single body of water but rather distinct basins.” This is also why Mexico City is so prone to floodingduring the rainy season.
La Lagunilla — or “little lake,” in Spanish — was a distinct, separate lake from the greater ones in the Valley of Mexico. That’s where she got her name, originally. Today, however, it could easily be described as the Mexican version of a flea market, ortianguis.
Tianguis and traditional Mexican markets have, indeed, been around for a long time, especially in the area. Archaeological remainsshow that the present-day Plaza de las Tres Culturas held one of the largest markets in Mesoamerica,dating back to 1337. La Lagunilla market, however, is not as ancient as the ‘little lake’ after which she was named.
Underground ruins suggest La Lagunilla was established as a residential and working-class neighborhood around the 16th century. At that time, the area was “used to receive and unload canoes arriving at the giant and famous Tlatelolco market, just to the west (of the area).”
Once the Tlatelolco marketplace dissolved, merchants migrated to this place, right in the vicinity of their previous workplace. Impressively enough, La Lagunilla continued to receive merchant canoes and trajineras until the early 20th century. In the 1950s, however, the last lake wasartificially dried up, and the ancient merchant families moved in to found their own residential neighborhood.
What can one find at La Lagunilla market?
Everything from Baroque cherubs to entire, second-hand living room sets is on sale at La Lagunilla market every Sunday morning. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
There is no official area or square footage that defines La Lagunilla. In fact, there are parts where the barrio bravo of Tepito and the antiques market not only adjoin, but also merge and blend into one another.
However, what locals often refer to as Mercado de la Lagunilla is bordered by Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, República del Perú and Tenochtitlán (of course, Tenochtitlán) streets, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City. On aSunday morning, one can easily take the Reforma route on a bike and get there in 30-40 minutes. One block east of the monument to José de San Martín, on Paseo de la Reforma, you’ll find the heart of this Sunday flea market.
To date, perLa Jornada newspaper, La Lagunilla market houses over 5,000 stands, with roughly 17,000 people earning a living from the Sunday market. On a regular weekend, merchants in the area receive 100,000 clients from Mexico City and abroad. What exactly can one find at the Sunday market? Honestly, the sky’s the limit.
First edition books, lithographs allegedly signed by Leonora Carrington, LP records, Van Beuren desks and mid-century bedroom sets: all of this (and really, so much more) is available at La Lagunilla market. Everything and anything that screams antiquities is on sale. I even remember finding a Space Age dining room set, which my grandmother must have seen at a department store when that style was fashionable. You can also find Fender bass guitars and jukeboxes from the 1960s, if you’re lucky.
Is it safe to visit La Lagunilla market?
My mother used to say that even Mexico City natives are foreigners when it comes to Tepito and its neighboring areas. And it’s true. It is called barrio bravo for a reason, after all. It is also “common knowledge” that local merchants take care of their customers, especially on Sundays, when they can sell entire living room sets — or “authentic” Diego Rivera’s — for 12,000 pesos on average.
There is no sugar coating it: Tepito and the surrounding areas can be very dangerous. Although there has been a heavy tourism wave to the area in recent years, visitors should not arrive after dark. La Lagunilla market is really a sight to be seen, but try arriving before noon — to avoid the crowds — and leaving before dusk.
It’s a Mexico City classic hack to buy your furniture in La Lagunilla market if you’re finally moving out and are on a budget. (Wikimedia Commons/Alejandro Linares García)
Also, try not to wear anything fancy. Sweatpants and a simple T-shirt will do. No jewelry, of course, and no iPhone 18 (or whatever this year’s model is). All of these warnings could suggest that the La Lagunilla market is not safe to visit.
This is not the case: again, merchants take care of their customers. However, to visit consciously and responsibly, avoid diving too deep into the Tepito area. This way, you’ll be able to focus onrefurnishing your new CDMX apartment, or buying a magnificent Kodak Brownie camera that still works.
What does wanting to live in Mexico City say about you? Find out in our real estate personality test. (Wikimedia Commons/VV Nincic)
Mexico has 32 states and probably hundreds of places to choose from when shopping around for a home. From beach towns to big cities, there’s something for everyone. But a part of understanding where you’d like to live in Mexico is being honest with yourself and knowing where your interests lie. It’s in moments like these that taking a personality test may be an effective way to decide which part of Mexico speaks to you most. You know what they say: it’s an idea so crazy that it just might work.
The Big 5 personality traits outline a person’s common characteristics and how they are influenced throughout their life. Everyone falls under one of the following categories: openness, consciousness, extraversion, agreeableness or neuroticism.
It turns out your personality can also indicate the kind of energy you’re most attracted to. If you’ve always dreamed of moving to Mexico but don’t know where, we’ve got you covered. The answer to this question may surprise you (it definitely surprised me)!
Openness: San Cristóbal de las Casas
Are you open-minded with a taste for adventure? You may want to talk to a real estate agent in San Cristóbal de las Casas. (Unsplash/Alexis Quiroz)
This is the personality trait I scored the highest on,. It defines people who are creative, curious, and open to new experiences. It can also indicate someone’s openness to intellectual knowledge and risk-taking, including adventures outside of their comfort zone.
If you’re like me, San Cristóbal de las Casas may be where you feel most at home. In the heart of Chiapas, it’s surrounded by nature, beaches and waterfalls. I like all these things, particularly the image of chasing a new waterfall every weekend and going on hikes to find local beaches.
San Cristóbal is also filled with history, from well-preserved colonial architecture and the yellow San Cristóbal Cathedral to museums and flea markets that sell artisanal gems that would fit well in anyone’s living room.
At first, I wasn’t sure if this Mexican pueblo was a good fit for me. But then, I thought about it. No, San Cristóbal wouldn’t have been my first choice to buy property. Yet it is a new place to discover. If that’s not the making of an expat adventure, I don’t know what is.
Consciousness: Huatulco
Huatulco is rich in culture and traditional values, with affordable prices for houses and condos. (Wikimedia Commons/ProtoPlasma Kid)
Oaxaca has grown to become my favorite state in Mexico over the last 3 years. From the food in Oaxaca City to the waves in Puerto Escondido for surfing, there’s a lot for me to see and explore there. In my experience, Oaxaca is a part of Mexico that stays true to tradition and is rich in communities, whether it be among locals, expats, or a mixture of both. Since those who fit into consciousness value stability and appreciate order, Huatulco might be the perfect choice to find your dream home.
It’s also reasonably priced if you look at the condos available to purchase in this beach town. Properties are between US $185,000 to $300,000, which is pretty good compared to other parts of Mexico.
From the delicious flavors of Oaxacan cuisine, the rich traditions of Day of the Dead and consistently good weather, you can’t go wrong here.
Extraversion: Mexico City
Mexico City is no place for introverts, at least according to our real estate personality expert. (Unsplash/Oscar Reygo)
Social events, lots of restaurants, museums, shopping malls and hip neighborhoods alone would attract most people to Mexico City. I’ve been going there since I was a kid, and I never have a shortage of fun things to do, people to meet, family to get tacos with, and new experiences to be had. I always find a new tour or meet up with a friend of a friend who knows of a good bar to watch a football match.
But I’m also what is called an ambivert, a mix between an introvert and an extrovert, depending on who I’m surrounded by or where I am in the world. Sometimes, I need to recharge my social batteries. If I’m being honest, I’d need a beach trip at least once every 3 months if I were to live in Mexico City.
That isn’t the case with those who fall under extraversion. In fact, the results indicate you’ll thrive in a place like Mexico City, where something cool is always happening.
From historic neighborhoods like Condesa to modern suburbs in Interlomas, you’ll find a variety of different condos and houses. Naturally, it’ll be better to live within Condesa, Coyoacán, or even Polanco if you’re looking to meet new people and be within walking distance to parks, social meetups and events. But if you have a family and want to be somewhere quieter, areas like Contadero and Santa Fe will be the safest bet.
Agreeableness: Tulum
If you’re an agreeable sort, you’d probably love living in Tulum, Mexico. (Unsplash/Spencer Watson)
The definition of agreeableness applies to those who love environments that foster trust and shared purpose. It may not be the most traditional or culturally appealing part of Mexico, but if you’re an expat looking to connect with like-minded people, I can’t think of a better location to call home than Tulum.
Tulum is notorious for being expensive, and I recently learned that property there has the highest acquisition cost in the Riviera Maya at 4%. Luxury apartments and penthouses there can also be well over half a million dollars. It has come a long way from being the quiet fishing village it once was 20 years ago.
However, when I visited Tulum five years ago, it had island vibes and a close-knit atmosphere that made it a draw for digital nomads and entrepreneurs.
I also noticed yoga retreats and spiritual healing workshops that provided a safe space for people to get to know each other through shared activities. If you want a good balance of an expat adventure and being surrounded by foreigners that make you feel at home, Tulum may be the place to be on the market for a condo. But for obvious reasons, I’d suggest hiring an independent real estate agent to help find something in your ideal price range.
Neuroticism: Bacalar
Bacalar is a relaxing place to live … even if you’re a little neurotic. (Unsplash/Max Harris Brassil)
My favorite little beach town in Mexico. It’s one of those places that may not be as mainstream as Cancún or Playa del Carmen. However, once you know about it, you’ll want to make sure it remains a secret.
If you’re partial to excellent food, boat rides, swimming, peaceful walks, and not many tourists, then you’ll love Bacalar. It also happens to be the perfect location to move to if your personality trait is neuroticism.
Bacalar is a small town that is the definition of a getaway destination. People who score high on neuroticism tend to be prone to stress and anxiety. Everything that an overrun tourist or expat hub may cause for those who prefer to be away from the bustling streets of Mexico City or the energy in Tulum. Bacalar is more laid-back and also quite affordable. It’s possible to find several properties in the US $130,000-$300,000 range here.
My advice is to purchase something before tourism begins to surge and home prices skyrocket. If you ask me, Bacalar has the potential to become one of Mexico’s next hot destinations.
What are your personality traits?
Of course, a personality test isn’t the only factor involved in buying property in Mexico. It may not be your sign to move to a certain place within the country, but it should be one of many reasons to chase the perfect version of your best life.
What are some of your unconventional ways to map out the location of your ideal Mexican dream home? Let us know in the comments below.
Ian Ostroff is an indie author, journalist, and copywriter from Montreal, Canada. You can find his work in various outlets, including Map Happy and The Suburban. When he’s not writing, you can find Ian at the gym, a café, or anywhere within Mexico, visiting family and friends.
Sheinbaum argued there is no "rupture" with AMLO's security approach or a "new strategy" on Wednesday. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
The federal government’s security strategy and water concession irregularities were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Wednesday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Sept. 24 mañanera.
Sheinbaum responds to US ambassador’s praise for her security strategy
A reporter noted that the United States Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson commented on the Mexican government’s security strategy on Tuesday.
Johnson, who was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Mexico in May, said that the Sheinbaum administration has made a “bold change” in security strategy in Mexico by ramping up operations against drug cartels.
His remarks came during a conference in Washington, D.C., organized by The Heritage Foundation and the America First Policy Institute.
There doesn’t appear to be any publicly available video or transcript of Johnson’s remarks, but according to a Reforma newspaper report, the ambassador spoke positively about security collaboration between Mexico and the United States, and declared that “a new era of cooperation between our governments” has commenced.
Johnson also compared the current security strategy in Mexico to the “more passive” approach of the administration led by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who championed a so-called “hugs, not bullets” strategy.
Asked about the ambassador’s remarks on Wednesday morning, Sheinbaum rejected that her government has made major modifications to the security strategy of AMLO’s administration.
Sheinbaum responde a embajador de EU: ¡No se pondrá en contra de AMLO!
“You already know that when they want to differentiate us, we don’t allow it because we are a project,” she said, a tacit acknowledgement that the current Morena party government represents continuity with the previous Morena party government.
“There is an intention, I don’t know whether it is of the ambassador, I’m not going to attribute it to him, … but there is an intention of the commentators from … [Mexico] to create the condition so that I could say: ‘No, we are different,'” Sheinbaum said.
“What are they looking for? A division within our movement,” she said, referring to the Morena party and the so-called Fourth Transformation political project she leads.
“There will never be that because, in addition, we recognize the work of [former] president López Obrador in all its magnitude,” Sheinbaum said.
“… The attention to the causes [of crime] continues,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the “hugs” aspect of the security strategy implemented by AMLO, which includes welfare payments and social programs.
She also said that there is now “perhaps greater coordination” on security issues between authorities of different levels of government.
“It’s a next stage [of the security strategy],” Sheinbaum said, adding that there are no grounds to say there is a “rupture” with AMLO’s security approach or a “new strategy.”
“We’re simply strengthening certain areas that we felt needed to be strengthened,” she said.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the United States’ pressure on Mexico to do so has intensified, and Sheinbaum — who is determined to protect trade with the U.S. as much as possible — is widely considered to be receptive to U.S. demands, although she stresses that she always acts in Mexico’s best interests and frequently defends Mexican sovereignty.
In addition to arresting over 30,000 alleged perpetrators of high-impact crimes in the past year, the Mexican government has seized large quantities of narcotics, dismantled clandestine drug labs, confiscated more than 16,000 firearms and sent 55 cartel figures to the United States to face justice.
Sheinbaum, along with Security Minister Omar García Harfuch, has taken major strides to improve security during her first year in office. (Cuartoscuro)
Murders are down and data on drug seizures and migrant arrests at the Mexico-U.S. border indicate that the quantity of narcotics being shipped north, and the number of migrants attempting to enter the U.S., have declined.
While the United States continues to impose so-called “fentanyl tariffs” on imports from Mexico that don’t comply with USMCA rules, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Mexico City earlier this month that the current security cooperation between the United States and Mexico is the “closest … we have ever had, maybe with any country.”
In contrast, the United States’ former ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, asserted last November that the “hugs, not bullets” security strategy failed, and blamed AMLO for a breakdown in bilateral security cooperation. Salazar was ambassador for more than three years while Joe Biden was in the White House.
‘You can’t do everything in 6 years’
A reporter asked the president how the number of “inconsistencies” in water concessions in Mexico was able to grow to more than 52,000, a figure cited by a senior National Water Commission (Conagua) official in an interview with the newspaper El Universal.
She said that AMLO told her that his government didn’t have the time to do a lot of things he would have liked to have done.
“Just imagine, 36 years of neoliberalism, plus the corruption that came before,” Sheinbaum said, referring in the first instance to the period between 1982 and 2018.
“You can’t do everything in six years,” she said.
“So we, I, took the decision, when we arrived to put the concessions in order. And the truth is that [Conagua director] Efraín [Morales], Mauricio and the entire [Conagua] team has done an extraordinary job,” Sheinbaum said.
The new facility, Intretech’s first in Mexico, is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs in the region. (Samuel García/ X)
Chinese tech manufacturer Intretech recently inaugurated a US $60 million plant in the northern state of Nuevo León. The new facility, Intretech’s first in Mexico, is expected to create up to 2,000 jobs in the region.
Intretech, founded in 2011, specializes in smart manufacturing, including products such as automotive rearview mirrors, hearing aids, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and navigation systems.
Intretech Mexico Board President Linden Lin was joined at the plant’s inauguration ceremony by Nuevo León Gov. Samuel García and Economy Minister Bestabe Rocha, and Apodaca Mayor César Garza Arredondo. (Samuel García/X)
The new plant is located in the municipality of Apodaca, near the state capital of Monterrey. It joins the company’s three existing global facilities in China, Malaysia and Hungary.
Joining Intretech executives at the opening ceremony were Nuevo León Governor Samuel García, state Economy Minister Bestabe Rocha and Apodaca Mayor César Garza Arredondo.
“We are a strong economy, which is why we continue to be the epicenter of nearshoring in Mexico,” Governor García said. “As we welcome companies like Intertech, we tell them: ‘You weren’t wrong. You’re betting on the best state, and your dollars will multiply.’”
Intretech Mexico Board President Linden Lin thanked the state government and the municipality of Apodaca, adding that the state plays an important role in the strategy ofthe new industrial park. He noted that given its location in Nuevo León, the new facility will help the area serve as a crucial manufacturing hub and will enhance the efficiency of Intertech’s services across the continent.
Commenting that Intretech’s arrival shows his municipality’s leadership in Nuevo León, Apodaca Mayor Garza said, “We celebrate the arrival of Intretech as a demonstration of our city’s economic power, which generates one in three jobs in Nuevo León and one in two manufacturing jobs.”
Nuevo León has historically led industrial development in Mexico. According to official figurres, the state had received in 2025 US $3.03 billion in foreign direct investment as of Q2, a figure that represents a 13.9% growth compared to 2024.
